Industrial States of America
The manufacturing giant of the continent, the Industrial States of America has more industrial capacity than its two closest competitors combined. The ISA produces airplanes, zeppelins, automobiles, engines, weapons, appliances, tools, and virtually anything else that can be fabricated. It is also blessed with a large and varied agricultural base, producing enough food to feed its own citizens and export surplus to foreign markets. It retains an impressive internal road and rail network, serving the logistical needs of the six Industrial States well. The only thing the ISA really lacks is access to markets: the ISA is surrounded by rivals and enemies, none of whom make it easy to get to market. All waterborne shipping into and out of the Great Lakes region is either subject to heavy tariff or refused passage by the Empire State. Ontario's neutrality allows a small loophole, though the ISA finds Ontario's handling fees only marginally more acceptable. Quebec's tariffs are just as bad as Ontario's and the other Canadian alternatives. French Louisiana is more affordable, but shipping down the Mississippi requires small but additive handling fees for Arkansas, Missouri, and Mississippi, and from Appalachia. The ISA can hardly complain; the Confederation of Dixie states make up a large percentage of the ISA's continental market. Zeppelin air cargo is cheaper per shipment, but air freight continues to be expensive in bulk, and is subject to air piracy. The ISA is nominally governed by a President and a Representative House. The ISA President, Franklin August, has only modest power and acts more as a figurehead. He defers to the wishes of a shadowy council of businessmen and financiers who provide the nation’s financial and military backing. The Industrial States of America is rather unique among the nations of the former United States, in that it did not deliberately secede when the U.S. still existed, but rather formed out of practical necessity as the Union collapsed around it. Enough states seceded in 1930 that by March 1931, the United States barely existed, so the Industrial States of America was formed so the states that joined it would have a central government to oversee trade and provide basic necessities and national defense. International Relations * Confederation of Dixie- The ISA and the COD have a business-focused relationship. The new Confederacy is not any more of a manufacturing giant than the old one, so buying from the ISA is an acceptable arrangement for them. The Confederacy charges more reasonable fees for shipping down the Mississippi River than many of the ISA's other neighbors do, but also gets in the way of a potentially-agreeable trade arrangement between the ISA and French Louisiana. * The Empire State is the ISA's main rival. The Empire State controls one of the main routes for shipping to and from the ISA, and will not budge on its policy of slapping heavy tarriffs on anything going or coming to or from the ISA, making relations between the two countries frosty at best. * French Louisiana- The ISA sees French Louisiana as a case of almost, but not quite, when it comes to an ideal partner for sea-borne shipping arrangements. The small, one-state nation would welcome the opportunity to be a shipping port for the ISA, but the Confederation of Dixie's substantial border along the Mississippi River means that no arrangement with Louisiana could exclude the Confederacy from getting a nice cut of the action. * The People's Collective- For the factory lords of the ISA, the People's Collective is a living nightmare. The sprawling socialist nation runs the western length of the ISA. Although mainly agricultural, the Collective does have the industrial capacity to supply its own military and domestic needs, and threatens to raise the ire of the factory workers, possibly rousing the now-broken unions once again into action. Category:Countries